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October 2019 in a pandemic-free world seems an age away. Reminiscing to keep the spirits up I would like to provide highlights of the self-guided cycle tour of the Alentejo... read more Castles and Wine that we took in those carefree days. Looking back it was bliss. It was an amazing route starting in Arraiolas (bussed there from Lisbon) we met Maria and Joanna at the old convent pousada and tested bikes and received our briefing. This is a fascinating little town which has a history of rug weaving/ embroidery dating back to the Moors presence in the 12th century, with an excellent museum. On to Evora with its Roman ruins and amazing walled city, and surrounding megalithic sites of awe. Tiny historic villages, some almost ghost-like were navigated and picnics eaten in the shade of the parish church in the central square. Obrigada-ing to the friendly locals. We visited a pottery studio in S. Pedro do Corval where the family has a connection to Best Cycling- such a friendly warm welcome. And then the steep climb up to the mythical Monsaraz to spend a precious night in the stars, wandering the narrow streets after the tourists had all left. Rode through marble quarries near Vila Viçosa and Estemoz. And lived like kings and queens in the pousada palaces. An amazing route through history, friendly people and accessible restaurants and cafes. Bikes never let us down, and the taxi delivery of our suitcases between rides faultless. The accomodation arrangements all perfect. All in all I wish we were back there again. Stay well Portugal and see you again soon. Thankyou Portugal Best Cycling. …
01/11/2020I don’t know where to start but what an amazing trip. The landscape was great with cliffs, pine nut tree groves, pomegranate trees, salt marches, and of course great ocean... read more views. The small villages were charming with great people to go along with them. The Pousadas we stayed at were also fantastic. The picnics were great. The best thing however were my two guides Jorge and Mario. Jorge made sure I was fed and hydrated the whole time and Mario made sure I wasn’t getting lost especially since I was ahead of the group. We all had good conversations and most of the time we closed down the restaurants. Such a good group. I feel like I made some friends along the way. I highly recommend doing a week trip like this. It was truly unforgettable!!!! …
01/10/2019Exploring Evora on e-Bikes - We had an amazing time exploring the beautiful Alentejo region with Mario on our Cycling in Paradise Tour.
We stayed seven nights at the farmhouse and did five... read more different routes over the week, each with a different theme. We saw and learned so much about the region and about Portugal. It was so relaxing not to have to pack and un-pack in between stops.
We used e-bikes which made the trip so much more relaxing and Mario tailored our days to our interests and our energy levels. We had a couple of really hot days for October so it was nice to not have to pedal so hard going up the hills! We still felt happily tired at the end of the day.
Alentejo has amazing food and wine and we had plenty of both. Some of our most memorable meals were in little local places along the way that we probably never would have found on our own.
We especially enjoyed visiting the historic University in Evora, the cork factory, the prickly pear farm, and the Fitapreta winery.
Mario was an amazing guide and Dina, Joana and the rest of the Turaventur staff made our trip extra special.
13/11/2021 -
Quite literally, from the minute we met Jorge and Mario our fantastic guides, we were treated like royalty. Everything was about how my wife and I could have the best... read more experience in Portugal. Until our last day we had a ball and easily the best holiday of a lifetime. We did two back to back tours, Atlantic coast & Wild Algarve and can thoroughly recommend both. We saw the beauty of the Alentejo region and some of the best sights in the Algarve. We ate the best food daily. How the lads managed to provide varying picnics daily and also give us the opportunity to sample such a range of Portuguese food for the length of our tours beats me. The range of beautiful wines selected was spectacular. The bikes - excellent quality, 27 gears, much of my time spent in the granny gear! The guides - wonderful guys, interesting, humorous, knowledgeable, friendly. The scenery - spectacular. The picnics - unreal. The accommodation - we did select the upgrade and were delighted with the rooms and hotel facilities. The cycling - we felt really safe with Mario and Jorge, they prepared us thoroughly each day as to what was ahead for the day, they stopped before any serious hazards to warn us beforehand, we learnt such a lot of cycling tips for the off road sections. The admin - We found the handling of our booking to be excellent. With the changing government Covid travel requirements, our flights were cancelled twice, but nothing was too much trouble. Our hotels were all rebooked and alternatives sorted for those unavailable. This was all achieved without any hassle by the admin staff. The itinerary provided was detailed and the daily trips and routes well laid out and referred to regularly. We found no fault at all with this holiday. It was without doubt the best holiday we ever had, thanks in no small way to Jorge and Mario's efforts. …
27/08/2021Just returned from a 6 day 5 night stay. The weather in November was mild and great for cyclers. I had private guides Jorge and Mario, who... read more were very knowledgeable. The accommodations at the farmhouse were extremely comfortable and the breakfasts were bountiful. Can't wait...More
Nutrition-TheBestRx
19/11/2018Castle and Wine Self-guided Tour May 2018. This was my husband and my fifth self-guided bike adventure and though I have very few complaints about any of the... read more companies we have used, Portugal Best Cycling truly had the best customer service over all of the...More
Kelly O
19/06/2018 -
We did this trip as a guided week long cycling tour with ever-enthusiastic and fun guide Maria in October 2017. The cycling became secondary to Maria's cooking and restaurant choices,... read more her passion for her country and its culture and heritage, and her constant smile. We...More
PatS2804
06/01/2018We were very happy with the services from PBC during our week cycling and cooking in Portugal. They were very attentive and always service minded. Easy to reach when we... read more needed assistance. Thanks a lot for making this so personal and nice! The tracks were...More
21/07/2019We are a family of four with an 18 year old and a 13 year old. This tour was a comfortable introduction to Portugal with distances ranging from 30km to... read more 50km per day for six days, and a mix of quiet roads and well maintained...More
George H
18/10/2018